Part Four "Shared Blood"
It was only six months after Horde Prime's defeat that Perfuma and Scorpia got engaged. Most of their courtship happened in Plumeria, while Scorpia assisted Perfuma in helping her people resettle and rebuild as a nation. The advantage of a peace-loving culture living mainly in tents was that it did not take long for her subjects to get back into the swing of things. By the time they exchanged tokens, affairs in Plumeria were in such good hands Perfuma felt perfectly comfortable leaving her brother in charge. She went to help Scorpia reclaim the lands that were now hers: with the Horde gone and Hordak on Beast Island helping Entrapta reclaim what technology could be salvaged, it was no challenge. The biggest difficulty, really, was in convincing Scorpia that she was the woman for the job.
Perfuma chuckles nervously as she quickly summons a vine. The children playing at the edge of the open drop in the room, currently being done up, are quickly shepherded back to the safe area. All except one...
"Finn... Get down here please!" Perfuma really has to focus to avoid her request coming out as a whine. The magicat child is swinging from a pipe with a bright grin as though there isn't a thirty-foot drop beneath their feet. Perfuma squares her shoulders and takes a deep breath. "Finn!"
Upon hearing her use her scolding tone, Finn drops down with a chastised look that reminds Perfuma far too well of when she scolded Adora for trying to throw a tank. And then they smirk, running off to tag young Pincer. His twin sister, Claw, shrieks. Perfuma shakes her head. Let the children have their fun. Moons above they've been deprived of it for too long.
"Thanks," says Stinger, the older Scorpioni sat beside her. "These kids can be a handful."
"Oh it's nothing," Perfuma answers brightly, sitting down next to the old man. His left arm is lame and his eyesight is failing, but he's still lively despite his years. "You should've seen the Plumerian children during the invasion. We were constantly having to chase after them."
Stinger chuckles drily. Perfuma covers her mouth. It's a bit of a sore topic for Stinger, she finds, mentioning the conflict that he never heard about till long after it happened. Still, he's gracious as he nods towards the clones erecting a barrier in front of the broken walls.
"You must be glad they came around to the idea of peace."
It's easy, Perfuma finds, talking to Stinger as she keeps the clones right and makes sure the children aren't doing anything dangerous. He's been a true boost to Scorpia in the few months since they first met him, one of the many liberated from that awful mine. His calm aura and sharp mind are clear marks of his time serving as an adviser to Scorpia's grandfather. His knowledge about the aspects of Scorpion law and culture that Scorpia missed out on growing up in the Horde have really helped to give them direction in their rebuilding efforts. Not that Scorpia wants everything to be as it was, far from it, but it helps her understand what the Horde adapted, what her remaining people might expect, and, crucially, helps her determine what she wants for them. With every decision Scorpia makes and explains to her, Perfuma finds herself falling more and more in love. With a smile, she returns to directing the clones along the open edge of the space, Stinger occasionally commenting on a bit of rubble they push aside or whatever game the children switch to.
Stinger starts coughing just as Perfuma catches a brief glimpse of a familiar alicorn. Immediately whatever game the children are playing stops, as the twins sprint to their grandfather's side, worry clear on their features. Perfuma's heart is heavy, knowing why they look so scared. It's how their parents passed away... mere weeks before Scorpia found a way into the mine. Many of the miners had come out with bad coughs and a weakened immune system. With Entrapta and Brightmoon's help, they've been able to give a lot of them the medication and help to recover, but there are still some that feel touch and go at times... Like Stinger.
"It's okay," the old scorpion man squeezes in between coughs. He reaches for the cold tea Perfuma makes for him and takes a greedy sip. The coughs finally abate. "See...?"
Perfuma feels a hand pulling at her dress as Pincer and Claw tackle Stinger in a tight hug. She peers down to see Finn standing quietly beside her, observing the three Scorpioni with a carefully blank expression. Their ears are flat against their dark hair and their tail is wrapped around their ankle. The only indication of their own distress is how tightly they're fisting at her dress, the way their hand trembles. She drops down to her knees and rubs at their back. This child...
They're nervous because they have clearly become very aware of the difference between them and the scorpion children. Finn's foster family in Stinger, Pincer and Claw, cares deeply for them, but it doesn't stop Finn from feeling different, an outsider, even when Stinger calls to them to join in the hug, and does his best to make sure everyone knows Finn's pronouns. Perfuma suspects Finn blames themselves for what happened to Pincer and Claw's parents, though they shouldn't.
It's bad enough that the Horde mine had this child, barely tall enough to reach Perfuma's hip, scrambling down dark holes into possible cave-ins and toxic fumes, but watching Finn put on a brave face like this, it hurts. Perfuma feels surer than ever in her and Scorpia's decision to ask for Catra and Adora. Even if they don't feel up to the task of taking them in, they might be able to provide Finn with the reassurance they clearly need.
"Go to them," Perfuma whispers, a gentle smile on her face. She nods towards Stinger and his grandchildren as Finn's bright blue eyes find hers. They stand taller and nod, before running over on all fours. For all Finn's insecurity, they still care deeply about Stinger, Pincer and Claw.
Perfuma glances back at the sky, catching once again a glimpse of Swiftwind gliding down from the north tower. She smiles, thinking about Scorpia, and hopes.
Stinger and the kids are resting up in their rooms when Scorpia arrives. Catra and Adora look well, if pale and sad, as to be expected. Perfuma is not a fan of the atmosphere in those mines, that is for sure.
"You should see what Adora's done to the place, honey!" Scorpia whispers in her ear as they hug. "Definitely an improvement."
Catching up with Adora and Catra is, as always since the end of the war, a delight. In the months immediately following Prime's defeat, Perfuma has regularly spent afternoons talking with one or the other, and sometimes both. Some of those conversations were difficult, others surprisingly delightful and heart-warming. She has no doubt that their learning about Finn will lead to more conversations, but there is no rush, and Perfuma is frankly keen to hear about their latest space adventure with Glimmer and Bow.
Adora is busy regaling the new residents of the Fright Zone about a rather amusing diplomatic incident involving Glimmer and Bow and a convoluted dance routine when Perfuma notices Catra looking morose. Perfuma remembers, vaguely, conversations had during Spinnerella and Netossa's baby shower last year, and sees Scorpia giving her a subtle nod.
Of course. Perfuma nods back and smiles.
"I'm away to get you more tea, Sweetheart. Catra, do you need anything?"
Catra's eyes have that distant look that she'd sometimes get when she was chewing over a particularly harsh confession. She shakes her head, but Perfuma knows... Scorpia will be there for her when she opens up.
She leaves the courtyard and heads to the kitchens. She could do with a good cup of herbal tea herself. Her mind keeps flitting back to that night where they'd all been invited to Spinnerella and Netossa's home in the newly liberated Talon Mountain. The joyous news of the pair's new arrival had all the couples in attendance thinking of how and when they would like to have children in turn. The free flow of drinks and sugary snacks had most of the attendees in a fun and joyous mood, and Perfuma, freshly enthused at hearing Scorpia's thoughts on parenthood, had maybe been a little bit tactless in approaching a frazzled looking Adora.
Really Perfuma should have seen the signs. She'd just passed a flustered Netossa. Adora was curling in on herself and looking out at the stars rather than arm wrestling Seahawk or cuddling with Catra. Instead she opened her mouth and put her foot right in it by asking if Adora was looking forward to being a mother one day.
The tears had been instantaneous, followed by a rapid rambling that forced Perfuma's scattered thoughts to sharpen reactively. Once she convinced Adora to take a few slow breaths and explain in calm measured words what was going through her head, it finally became clear.
Back then, Adora had been terrified of the idea of becoming a mother... Her only frame of reference for what a good mother was like had been Angella, and that had been brief. With Adora's tendency to anxiously aim for perfection in all things, it had made a surprising amount of sense.
Thankfully Perfuma was able to reassure Adora that she and Catra needn't have children if they did not wish to, and besides, there was no one right way to parent, nor was there a rush. Perfuma even reminded her how many Etherians would comment, upon watching Adora interact with their children, on how good a mum they thought she'd be, but Adora hadn't seemed so convinced by that.
And to think that all the while...
As Perfuma pours water over the leaves into the pot, her mind turns to when she then found Catra, later that same night... Or more accurately, Catra found her. Perfuma remembers looking up from her drink to see the Magicat lurking awkwardly nearby, a morose looking Melog pushing her towards Perfuma. When she asked what was the matter, Catra had sighed and sat down.
"Did you know it took Spinnerella and Netossa over two years to conceive?" She asked, her voice wobbling as she stroked Melog's back.
Perfuma had been surprised, but not stunned.
"I knew they'd been trying for a while. I didn't know how long." Perfuma frowned. "Why does this trouble you?"
Catra sat working her jaw for a while, her eyes struggling to focus on any one thing in the room until they found Adora, sat chatting at the opposite end of the room with Juliet and Castaspella.
"I... I think Adora and I... Maybe one day? I think we could be interested... In having kids, maybe, but I..." Catra's hand reached for the back of her neck. Her face took on a scowl that Perfuma recognised from their conversations about Shadow Weaver and Horde Prime. "I'm not convinced I wouldn't mess things up... But... With Adora, Sparkles and Bow, and the rest of you guys at our side, I know we'd be okay. I'm just worried that..." A gulp, some tears threatening to spill from her eyes, Catra continues. "I'm worried that even if we were to try, we couldn't. I think... I think something happened to me, maybe on Prime's ship, or maybe before, that would... Well... Make it impossible."
Perfuma remembers how her heart panged hearing that. It was one thing to choose whether or not to become a parent, another entirely to have that choice taken from you.
"Have you spoken with the healers about this?" Perfuma had asked, placing a hand on Catra's arm. "With Adora?"
With a sigh, Catra placed her hand over Perfuma's and shook her head.
"I'll... I'll speak with a healer, but I..." Melog rumbled when Catra hesitated. "I don't think I can speak with Adora about it. Not unless she brings it up first. I don't..."
"Adora loves you, Catra," Perfuma reminded her. "Trust that she'll support you in this."
"It's not... Never mind." And then, in that clever and sharp way that Catra has, she changed the conversation to talking about Perfuma and Scorpia's then imminent wedding.
Ever since meeting Finn, these two conversations have been on Perfuma's mind. There's still a lot she doesn't know, and it's probable she'll never know the whole story... But she's glad the pair have the choice now, even if it's not in the manner they would have hoped, even if it implies so much more pain in their past left to untangle. Perfuma knows that whatever choice the couple make, it'll only help them grow.
The pot of herbal tea is ready. She returns to the courtyard, her thoughts drifting to Scorpia, to the new life she and Scorpia are bringing to the world... They got lucky, she knows, to have reached this stage so swiftly.
If later that night, when they're cuddling and Perfuma is helping to massage Scorpia's sore feet, she thinks to ask, she is satisfied when Scorpia replies: "Yes. She did talk to me. Boy did she need to let that one out."
Scorpia leans over and pulls Perfuma to her side, placing her hand on the bump, to feel their little one move. Scorpia's voice starts to sing a whispered song into her wife's ear. The baby kicks, and Perfuma smiles through joyful tears.
Perfuma gets up early in the mornings. As part of her mindfulness routine she starts the day off with some outdoor meditation, and lately she's been checking on some of the other residents to see if they want to join her. Heart Blossom knows, Scorpia needs the extra rest. She's away to knock on Stinger's door to see if he and the kids would like to join her when she spots the sway of a blond tail on a roof ledge. Her hand stills, and she tilts her head. The dawn is just starting, the Fright Zone's sky turning from a deep purple to red as the sun rises, a small bank of clouds rolling in from the south.
There's still a couple of stars out. The small head of dark hair with pointed ears is tilted up towards them. The tail is swaying lazily, but there's a tension to the child's shoulders as they hug their knees to their chest. Perfuma's heart melts. She summons a small vine to lift her up so she can lean against the roof ledge by their side.
"You're up early," Perfuma says quietly, looking up at the brightest group of stars above them. There's a group of four that she remembers Adora giving a name. A Constellation, was it?
Finn glances at her before turning back to the sky. They look thoughtful.
Finn is so loud, Perfuma thinks, when they are playing, that she sometimes forgets how quiet they can get. They're like Catra in that.
"Do you like looking at the stars?" She asks.
"Stars?" Finn asks, their blue eyes confused as they turn to her, finally engaging. Perfuma smiles.
"The lights in the sky. What did you think they were?" Perfuma's tone is gentle, inquisitive. She just wants a window into the many thoughts clearly tumbling through the young Magicat's head.
"They're like the glow worms from the ceiling." Finn says with a smile. "Claw found one that fell. She showed me. I said I would climb up and grab one myself!"
Perfuma laughs. "And did you?"
"No..." Finn pouts, crossing their arms as they stretch their legs out. "The adults never let me climb that high." They wistfully glance at the towering building nearby.
"Let me guess, you want to catch a star and show them?"
Finn's alert tail and enthusiastic nod has Perfuma charmed. So much optimism. It is a testament to the Scorpion people's positive influence.
"They are a lot further away than they look," Perfuma says carefully, taking care to put on a thoughtful pout. "I hear it takes weeks just to reach the nearest star."
"Weeks?!" Finn cries out, leaping onto all fours. They lean back, suddenly suspicious, their tail lashing behind them. "Wait, how do you know? Are you lying?"
Perfuma shakes her head. "I'll have you know," she grins, "I have friends who travel through space!"
"What's space?"
Honestly, Perfuma should've expected that question. She tries not to hesitate too long. It's not a concept she's particularly comfortable with.
"It's the space between the clouds above us and the stars. It's very big."
"Can you take me?" Finn leaps to her side, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Oh I'm not going to space!" Perfuma shudders at the thought. "But..."
"Hm?" Finn's face is very close to hers, eager for a reply.
Perfuma pushes off the roof ledge to answer.
"My friends might take you there. One day. Maybe."
"Really?" Finn seems startled. It's... Not that surprising really, When Perfuma thinks about it. Going off on proper adventures in the mine won't have been a common activity, let alone with people Finn doesn't know.
"You'll have to ask them yourself." Perfuma starts to lower herself to the ground. "Now why don't you tell me why you weren't asleep?"
There's an irritated mumble as Finn leaps off the roof to the ground. Perfuma has never seen a child so sure on their feet.
"What was that?"
They stand straight and brush their hands down their top to remove some dust, grumbling a little at having to repeat themselves.
"I... Had a dream. A bad dream. Looking at... stars? It helps."
For a moment, Perfuma wonders if she should tell them... But no, she cannot get their hopes up when Catra and Adora haven't made their decision yet. She drops down to their height though, and squeezes their shoulder.
"You are very brave, Finn." Perfuma says. And she means it. They're so independent and strong for one so young, and so positive and resilient despite the harsh conditions they've been growing in. It's hard not to see the blood in them that they share with two of the bravest people she knows, but this valour is all Finn.
She hopes Catra and Adora will get to see it for themselves.
Perfuma is absolutely delighted, at breakfast, when Catra and Adora trip over each other to agree to look after Finn. They obviously point out that they'll need time to adjust, and a lot of guidance, but Scorpia anticipated that. Perfuma goes to fetch Stinger, leaving the kids under a grumpy Grizzlor's care as they swarm a preening Swiftwind. The Alicorn delights in the attention of children who've never seen a horse before, let alone one with a horn or wings.
When Stinger enters the room, both Adora and Catra stand, bowing slightly as he comes in. Stinger laughs when he's close enough to see, and waves at them to sit down. The two are clearly nervous, but Stinger is quick to put them at ease.
"My name's Stinger," he says simply. "You must be..." His claw hovers between the two, before accurately pointing at each one in turn. "Adora, and Catra: heroes of the rebellion and, I'm told, probably the stunned parents of a certain adventurous magicat currently in my care."
He settles in the chair, nods his thanks to Perfuma as she gives him a mug of warm tea, and waits, a warm smile on his face, for the others to speak. Perfuma sits next to her wife, Scorpia giving her a quick peck on the cheek. Adora and Catra look at each other meaningfully. Catra leans forward.
"Scorpia says you've been Finn's main guardian?" Catra asks, her words strangely stilted. Perfuma feels Scorpia squeeze at her shoulders as they watch the exchange. Stinger nods. Catra looks a blink away from tearing up. She bows her head. "I... Thank you. Thank you for being there for them when... When I couldn't be. We couldn't be."
"We don't want to do this if Finn doesn't want to," Adora says, her voice strong, though her hand on the table shakes. "Scorpia told us... She told us you were hoping to find someone who could keep up with Finn, that you felt they were itching for something more than you could offer. Could you..." Adora's voice cracks, Catra's hand finding hers on the table. "Could you tell us more about them, please?"
Perfuma hears Melog chirp as they leap onto Catra's lap. Perfuma leans against Scorpia, settling in for the tale she's heard before, but is keen to hear again. Stinger's voice is gruff as he explains how he came to look after Finn, his daughter nursing the new-born infant alongside her twins, their father working twice as hard in the mine to guarantee them sufficient rations, as Stinger recovered from the injury that robbed his left arm of all motion. He tells them of a toddler Finn, who would squeeze themselves into the smallest cracks and pounce on whoever walked past. He tells them of Finn's first words, how proud they were when they first got to help with the mining. Stinger tells them with a broad smile of when Finn starts pranking the Horde overseers, stealing rations to help the less fortunate and creating diversions with a skill and glee that he'd seen in no other four-year-old.
Catra and Adora listen with wide eyes and rapt attention. There's the odd gasp or sound of disbelief, and meaningful looks shared at an anecdote that is somehow meaningful to them. Unquestionably, there are tears as Stinger tells of how his daughter and son both fell ill, two of the many caught in a mine collapse that left those not crushed with rapidly worsening coughs. The look of dawning horror on Catra's face as Stinger needs to, once again, interrupt the narrative for a short coughing fit and sip of tea, has Adora standing from her chair.
"Adora, what...?" Perfuma's question is answered with a glowing magical call, and soon it is She-Ra standing in front of Stinger, reaching across to tenderly grab hold of his pincer. His eyes are wide as he takes in her appearance. It was one thing to be told that in his absence from the surface, She-Ra had returned. It was another to see it for himself.
"Let me...?" She-Ra asks, reaching a hand out to touch his cheek, a golden light pouring out from her touch.
Stinger's laboured breathing eases, and he stands in turn. There's awe in his voice, now free from its distinctive rattle.
"So it was true... She-Ra did return."
His left arm remains lame, but his voice, though reverently soft, has gained a depth and strength Perfuma has never heard from him before. The white shadow on his irises has lifted, allowing his gaze to sharpen as he looks around the room.
"We're... I'm... I am so sorry we never got you out of that mine sooner." Catra's words are soft, but intense. She's standing too, now, her arm resting on She-Ra's back.
Stinger laughs. "It's... You're alright..." He seems surprised, but relieved. He ruffles his greying dark hair, before leaning forward to grasp the two in a tight one-armed embrace. She-Ra shrinks back down into Adora, and Perfuma and Scorpia find themselves joining the group hug as Catra squeaks.
"You're alright." Stinger repeats. "Let me talk to Finn."
When Finn walks into the room after lunchtime, with Stinger at their side, their eyes are wide and uncertain. Perfuma feels her pulse thundering like the storms that come and go so quickly in the Fright Zone. Scorpia's arm is a supportive presence at her back, even though she is already tearing up. They both want this meeting to go well.
Catra and Adora instantly still when Stinger and Finn enter the room. Melog however...
"Aah!" Finn lets out a delighted squawk as the Krytian pounces them, rubbing their cheeks against Finn's as they sit back up.
"Melog won't hurt them," Catra says with emphasis when Stinger, alarmed, looks up to her. Her face is flushed, but Perfuma sees a smile slowly blooming there. It is Adora, unexpectedly, who seems to be instantly in tears.
Scorpia clears her throat, stepping forward to carefully kneel at Finn's side as an embarrassed Catra pulls the large cat away.
"Finn, these... These are your parents, Catra and Adora."
Finn's eyes snap to Stinger, their brows raised as they swivel their head back and forth.
"Are you Perfuma's friends?" Finn asks as the pair come to kneel beside them in turn. Perfuma has to cover her mouth, remembering their chat earlier that morning.
"We are," Adora confirms, gazing in awe at the child. There's no fear there, as Perfuma momentarily feared there might be. She's reminded of new Plumerian parents as they meet their new-born for the first time. It's the same look she remembers seeing on Netossa and Spinnerella's faces as they introduced their daughter Misty to their friends: utterly charmed.
Finn leaps to their feet and squares up to the two women in front of them, crossing their arms meaningfully as they appraise them.
"We're here to ask..." Catra's voice hitches, though she is still definitely smiling. If Perfuma had to pick a word to describe her expression, it would be enamoured, possibly relieved. "Finn, would you like to come and live with us?"
Finn tilts their chin, tapping it dramatically as they consider their response. Scorpia's eyes twinkle as she grins at Perfuma. It's always a delight when Finn chooses to be dramatic.
They drop their hands to their hips and lean forward.
"Will you take me to the stars?" They stage-whisper.
"Yes," Catra and Adora say together, neither missing a beat. Startled they glance at each other then smile. "Of course, we will."
With a shout Finn leaps at their necks, hugging them tight, the way only someone raised by Scorpion people can. "Yeay!" they cry.
"I take it that's a yes," Stinger chuckles, helping Perfuma to get Scorpia back to standing.
"Definitely," Perfuma says. Her cheeks are already stretched from how hard she is smiling.
It takes a couple of weeks to get everything in order. Glimmer and Bow in Brightmoon are informed of the need to help accommodate Finn via tracker pad, leading to the pair instantly appearing in Scorpia's office, Glimmer insistent that they get told everything in person. Finn spends most of that week literally leaping off the walls of the Fright zone in excitement as they get to spend a few more days playing with Pincer and Claw while also getting to know Adora and Catra. When finally, they say goodbye, it is made quite clear that there will still be plenty of opportunities to see their grandpa' Stinger, the next visit already planned.
The first few weeks, from what Perfuma hears, are a little rough and tumble. Brightmoon introduces the concept of schooling to Finn, which confuses them and has Adora spiralling until Bow explains in quite clear terms how the education on offer differs from the Horde's. Finn makes friends rapidly and easily, and where the classes require quick thinking and counting, they excel quickly... When they're not busy skipping with a rebellious Melog's help. Catra relates all this to Perfuma via video-call, a welcome distraction from Perfuma's own anxieties as Scorpia's due date draws nearer and nearer. Her own thoughts fixating on her own impending motherhood, it occurs to Perfuma to ask.
"Hey, Catra," She pauses as the Magicat's eyes focus on her camera again.
"Yeah?"
"How are you finding being a mother?"
Catra's smile is wide and bright. In the background Perfuma can see Adora entering the room with Finn sitting on her shoulders, giving them a wave.
"Better than I could ever have imagined," comes the reply.
Fin
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Note: Many thanks for reading! I look forward to your thoughts.